The third annual Pink Power Girls Night Out was held on Thursday, October 10th at the Wyndham Garden in York, PA. Over 300 women gathered together to celebrate our beautiful breast cancer survivors, while raising $100,000 for local patients in need!
Every year the highlight of the evening is toasting our warrior survivors. At the beginning of our program, 50 survivors gathered in front of the ballroom, each sharing how many years they have survived cancer, while clinging their glass and toasting to the survivor beside them. We celebrated a newly diagnosed 6-month survivor, a 29-year survivor, and everything in between. It’s a beautiful way to celebrate life and give hope to others.
Vinnie Myers, a world-renowned tattoo artist for breast cancer patients, once again wowed our audience as we watched a video of him tattooing not only a woman, but a man with breast cancer. Vinnie shared that since Pink Power began in 2017, our funds have been able to help 50 women receive tattooed nipples to complete the final step in their reconstruction process. Faith Myers, a recipient of complimentary tattoos from a 2017 Girls Night Out drawing, came to the stage to thank Vinnie for her beautiful tattoos that made her feel normal and beautiful again. Keynote speaker Stef Crumbling moved the audience to tears and laughter as she shared her powerful words of wisdom. She shared, “Life is like a trampoline. The harder you fall, the higher you soar.”
Our evening began with a silent auction, and immediately following the program we held a very successful live auction. You could hear a pin drop as Auctioneer Tim Keller shared that his wife is a breast cancer survivor, and how grateful he is that she is still around to love and teach their beautiful grandchildren. A live appeal was held to raise money for survival guides to distribute to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, and tears were overflowing as we raised $9,000 for books in less than 10 minutes! Overall, our silent and live auctions raised $43,000!
Proceeds from our event benefit the following organizations:
Penn State Cancer Institute Genetics Program
Funds provide counseling and testing for genetic mutations for individuals with a personal or family history of cancer. Patients learn management options to lower the risk of a cancer diagnosis.
UPMC Pinnacle Breast Care Center
These funds pay for non-medical expenses for breast cancer patients to ease the financial burden for families in our community whose lives have been affected by breast cancer.
WellSpan Health York Cancer Center
Funds cover medical expenses for breast cancer patients who qualify under the WellSpan Financial Assistance Policy.
Pink Ink Project
This organization was founded by Vinnie Myers. Proceeds pay for tattooing on the reconstructed breasts of patients who wish to complete the last step of their journey but may not have the funds to make this possible. “It’s such a rewarding feeling knowing that we have raised $228,000 since 2017, and I know we will continue to grow each year,” says Denise Gilliland. “We have an extremely generous community that makes our mission possible, and a very dedicated committee who brings great success to our Pink Power event year after year.”